Former NBA players Mario Chalmers and Josh Smith have both signed on to play in Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league this summer, according to a series of tweets from the league.
Chalmers, a two-time NBA champion with the Heat, currently plays with Virtus Bologna in Italy and is expected to join the BIG3 once his contract ends in June, as noted by Sportando. The BIG3 schedule is set to begin on June 22.
Chalmers played 66 games with the Grizzlies last season, starting in 10 contests and averaging 7.7 points, 3.7 assists and 21.5 minutes per contest. He played a key role on the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 championship teams, giving the team quality minutes as a starting point guard on both ends of the floor.
Smith, a versatile forward drafted 17th to Atlanta in 2004, holds 13 seasons of NBA experience with the Hawks, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers and Pelicans. He appeared in three games with New Orleans last season, getting waived two weeks after he was signed.
Longtime NBA veterans Joe Johnson and Al Jefferson also signed on to play in the BIG3 on Thursday, adding to a mix of talent that already includes Lamar Odom, Gilbert Arenas, Kendrick Perkins, and others.
The deadline for players to sign with the league is Tuesday, March 19. More player signing announcements are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
Isn’t Josh Smith still collecting an NBA salary? Pistons paying him to play in a whole different league…
Yup, I think he still got like 5 mill this season from the pistons
Turned out popular, this touring halfcourt oldguys league.
With hindsight it seems like a clearcut winner & why did it take so long. Maybe it had to wait for the rise of the black dollar.
If in-prime female players started up with this formula… Might be a better ticket than the WNBA…
Disagree
Yikes dude.
hahaha yea right buddy
I don’t have much to work with here! WNBA supporters? Doubters of the Big3 concept?– as applied to the female athlete?
Baseball was changed for girls/women, basketball & soccer not. On the lower levels at least, from the spectator’s perspective, both could benefit from fewer players on smaller stages.
Smaller fields/courts. “Stage” wrong